Please be warned about renting an boat through rent-a-boat-bonaire. We rented a small motorboat there, and supposedly we hit something, because the Belgian owners detected some scratches on the rotorblade afterwards. They charged our creditcard 500 USD for this. So this is the way to keep their rental rates relatively low!

Thank you for being brave enough to let people know! Please don't be surprised or discouraged if you get a barrage of emails along the lines of, "Well, we've rented from them 10 times and never had a problem, so it must have been your fault." Feedback like yours is much more valuable than the usual from BT.

Five hundred dollars for scratches on a propeller?? Was it a stainless steele propeller? I highly doubt it on a rental boat.Check out a company called Overton's, online.It will give you an idea of prices for propellers, in the US.$ 500.00 will get you a nice prop.

Well there are always two sides to every story. $500 however does appear to be pretty steep considering that the prop was probably used and not brand new. However I do doubt that anyone would stay in business long who did this frequently.

However, my advice for others who are considering renting a boat from anyone, I use the same procedure we all do when renting a car. Thoroughly inspect it before taking it out.

With respect to the prop, it should be thoroughly examined with the motor at full tilt, out of the water. If you have a small camera handy, take a picture of it BEFORE leaving the dock. This should be S.O.P. for anyone in renting a boat.

rotorblades, propellorblades, .. y'all know what I mean. (I'm Dutch, so gimmie a break ;-) Unfortunately I only have pictures from the situation afterwards, clearly proving there was no structural damage to the blades whatsoever.

It is kind of like when you rent a truck with worn out / no tread tires , then the tire blows and we buy the rental company a new tire . They are basically charging you for a new prop , not fair . Do us all a favor and dispute the entire charge with your visa . I think you will get the charge refunded and the rental company will hide in their shame .

Unfortunately a creditcard company is not a legal firm. They just look at a contract that says that any damage to the propeller will be charged with a minimum of 500 bucks. They see my signature under that contract and don't ask any further questions. But you wouldn't sign such a contract when you know they define THIS as damage.

The only thing that remains for me is spreading the word and warning others for these fraudulous Belgian ladies.

all you can do is dispute the charge with the credit card company. they'll review the case and decide whether or not to pay the rental company. they may decide to pay none of the charges, part of them, or all of them. but you have to file a dispute claim quickly.

my parents were vacationing in ireland and my dad backed the rental car into a trailer. the rental company charged the credit card company (they covered the insurance) for a replacement rental car and towing of the damaged car. my dad said the original car was never towed and he drove the damaged car for two more weeks before he returned it so there was no replacement car. he disputed the claim and the credit card's insurance company only paid for the dented bumper. it's worth talking to the credit card company

It looks like the prop was freshly painted, and all that happened to it was scratched paint. If the owners re-paint the prop before each rental, then each renter can be charged for $500 "damage". I can't wait to get back to Bonaire in February to start my boat rental business!

Hi, I'm one of the "fraudulous" Belgian ladies. First of all we give customers a very detailed explanation of what to do and not to do when you rent a boat. The customer sign this contract knowing that they rent the boat on their own risk. It also says that you are not allowed to go into the light blue water with our boats. Damage to the prop cost minimum 500$. This is to avoid accidents especially with all the divers, snorkelers and swimmers in the water. Also to protect the beautiful reef. Our contract is very clear. The light blue water around the coast is clearly divided with the dark blue water and yellow moorings. The only way to damage the prop is to go into that light blue water. We always show the prop ( every blade) to prove it's completely undamaged and we show the customers the damaged props we have ( also those with scratches and paint damage) and clearly say it will cost them $500 if they damage it in whatever way. This we do because we want all the props to be perfect, so we don't have any discussion afterward. And to prevent damage to our motors. After damage (even very small ) we put a completely new prop on the boat, so we can show every customer a new prop. We take the boat out of the water to check for further damage,. All this costs money cause we need to pay somebody to do this. Not to mention the lower unit that get's a bang every time! We never recuperate damaged props! And believe me it's not making us any money, repairs and boat related stuff is very expensive here. Customers can take their damaged prop home. If the customers stay out of the light blue water ( this we clearly communicate! ) they will never have this problem. But some people don't listen, they damage the props and can't admit it, worse they damage the coral and are a danger for snorkelers! If we were so "fraudulous" then why do we have so many returning customers? We've been doing this for 10 years! The last thing we want is somebody damaging a prop! By the way if we were fraudulous we wouldn't stay long in business on a small island like Bonaire. Especially if 60% of our customers are locals. And every one of them signs the same contract. It's very easy to bash a company on the internet.

Of course I do believe they didn't do it on purpose, accidents can happen, they rented 2 boats that day ,one came in fine, the other one was damaged. When they signed the contract they knew what the risks were so if you didn't agree with it then you shouldn't have rented our boats. About the accusation of the prop being repainted.... do you really think we wanna make money like that? I invite anybody to come and check our props. Again we always practically beg our customers not to go into the light blue water before they rent. Damage is one thing but if they kill a person then I guess all the boat rentals here can close their business.

Of course BT is not the right platform to start a direct discussion with Rent-a-boat about this issue, but Zonja's post calls for a response.

Apparently Rent-a-boat has similar discussions with other customers too, because we are not the party she's talking about. We only rented one boat.

Indeed, they do not use 'damaged' props, but there is no doubt they can make money out of these disputes. They see scratches, swiftly replace the prop (they don't need anybody to do this, they're skilled enough to do it in a couple of minutes themselves) and charge 500 bucks. The net profit is the difference between a new prop and 500 dollars.

Yes, we did sign a contract before taking the boat out. 'Don't come in the light blue waters' (which we of course did not!!!) and 'any damage costs 500 USD'. What damage is, is illustrated by a pile of bent and twisted props on the docks. If we would have known that scratches are considered damage too, then we would have checked the prop twice, like it was suggested on this forum!

Anyway, with the ship loads of ignorant tourist that are delivered three times per week on Bonaire, I do not doubt that you can stay in business this way. The question is: Is it fun this way?

For the rest I leave this discussion to the legal people at Visa, who are looking in to this mater right now. They have the pictures that say it all.

Well from my point of view, the adjudication of this dispute is pivotal upon the meaning of the word "damage" vs "normal wear & tear".

In the absence of any other language in the contract which attempts to define exactly what is meant by the term "damage", I would suspect that within the US any ambiguity would be construed on the part of the renter.

Additionally, if I were Rob, it would be beneficial for his defense to have a photo of the "pile of bent and twisted props on the docks" to buttress his position with the credit card company. I do suspect if this were presented as evidence the ruling would be in his favor.

If you look at the pictures,,,is that normal wear or tear from one day of boating with a brand new prop? This is only possible if you hit something! And the only way to hit something is to take the boat into the light blue water. Unless you hit a fish made out of metal or rock. Yes the prop we can replace ourselves.....but we still need to get the boat out the water to check for further damage...this we can't do ourselves.

I will be on the island soon and plan to rent a boat there Could I borrow the prop in question? I will install the damaged prop in place of the "new" prop. I run a similar looking prop on my boat right now and it looks and works fine. What engine are they running,looks like an OMC product 80-100 HP. I prefer a plastic prop for rough use. It chips easily and is cheap to replace. And far nicer on the marine life

I would be very nervous renting a boat from this business, as there is a good chance it could cost me $500.00, even if I stayed in the blue water.(always the potential for something floating in the blue water that could cause a small scratch or minor paint damage) We have owned boats for years and that prop does not look like it would impact the motor/performance.

The owner has options rather than pulling the boat completely out of the water. 1) snorkel, with a camera 2) scuba, with a camera 3) jump in off the side of the boat with only a mask take a quick look. Is 1, 2 or 3 not worth $500?

Zonja....having owned boats most my life, I can assure you that there are other ways to damage a prop besides grounding it in shallow water (which is what you imply by alluding to the light blue water as being the sole cause for prop damage). Debris floating in the water, buoy tethers, etc.

That being said, I suppose if you are really clear (in writing) in your contracts about what constitutes "damage" (e.g. scratches, minor paint scuffs, cosmetic stuff) and someone is still willing to contract with you for a boat rental, then your agreement is what it is and it is buyer beware for the renters. Of course...as Vince pointed out, if your contract is ambiguous, then.....

great point freddie. i had doubts about the OP's claims but reading the response from the company owner has helped me make up my mind never, ever to rent a boat from them. a bent or chipped prop is one thing...minor scratches are another. it does sound like a scam.

We had planned to rent a boat from this company when we come to Bonaire next year. I think we'll find another one instead. I'm not taking a chance that I'll be charged $500 for what basically constitutes wear and tear on a prop. That's ridiculous!

This is really dumb. While I certainly advocate keeping boaters out of the light blue water, unless the company has proof that the boat was in shallow water, a scratched prop is not proof of that action, and charging for the prop is not up to them. That is a problem for the authorities on Bonaire. Believe it or not (first option is the logical choice) you can scratch a prop in deep water by striking floating debris.

Bottom line: This needs to be contested by the credit card company.

And if you were boating in the shallow water, I'd suggest being silent from here on out.

I appreciate Zonja coming on and representing the company's policy . How many of us actually read the "fine print" when on vacation renting toys ... It is over the top charging for a new prop when prop has superficial scratches's. Even though you declare it on the contract it borderlines on good ethics , possibly gouging the renter . The Bottom Line for the Rental Co. and Renters ... A boat is a big hole in the ocean you throw money into , one way or another .

Why would a ship's propeller be painted in the first place? To make it more susceptible to "damage"?

Actually Robert,a painted prop can indicate how a prop performs and if it's the right prop for the application.Painting can also retard fouling and algae build up,especially in salt water Cavitation and 'prop blow-out' will cause the paint to be removed on particular areas of the blade and prop itself.Of course this takes time to become noticeable.I can see that paint has been removed from the leading edge of this prop already Probably not powdercoated.Also,running an outdrive with to much trim will cause accelerated wear.As one who works on boats and owns one as well,I've seen this many times. caveat emptor I hope my first post is helpful and hasn't bored any one.I am counting the days when I'll be back enjoying this beautiful little island and bobbejeans bbq :-)

Dennis I had also been thinking about cavitation damage which I had seen on my one props years ago. The thing with a charge for prop damage it should only be for damage that effects the performance of the prop. A charge for marks in the paint is absurd. Mick

Mickey, I agree, I just didn't want to seem like a troll.Based on my experience,it appears that the prop hit something in the water column, not the bottom. There doesn't appear to be any damage to the tips which would indicate bottom contact.Seems rent-a-boat takes a lot of latitude with the word 'damage'.And judging by the lack of paint on the edges,I suspect that prop wasn't put on the day they rented it.IMHO.This would make a very expensive souvenir.Maybe they can reach some kind of agreement. As was already mentioned,best to read the fine print.

Thanks for all the support on this forum. It strengthens my idea that it's not us who are off track here. Even if we were the ones to cause this 'damage' on the prop - with stress on IF - it is outrageous to charge 500 dollars for this non-structural damage.

I will report again when VISA tells me what they decide on this stupid claim by Rent-a-boat.

I'm in agreement with Denise, we won't rent next month either from this company. I'm no expert, but to me, it's superficial damage and makes us feel uncomfortable renting from them. Their meaning of "damage" is too open ended.

I rented a boat from them in dec wouldn't do it again, I found them rude,arrogant,condescending and unprofessional.Ive owned boats and their boats are extremely under powered.There's another boat place next to Argentinian restaurant .about 100 yards to the south there boat size fits the motor size better ill be trying them next time PS that prop was not damaged

i hope zonja and her business partner read this thread and rethink their business practices. i have never rented a boat on bonaire but we often talked about it. as things stand right now, i'd steer clear of this operation until there is proof that they no longer charge for a new prop after every rental.

the business axiom of a happy customer telling three people and an unhappy one telling eleven sure holds true here.

the owners should realize how much business they are potentially losing by not treating one customer fairly.

I'm amazed at how fast and on the basis of one complaint everybody is making a judgement. Is it that easy to crucify somebody? Without even knowing us?

And by the way we're the people next to the Argentinian restaurant. ( easy to mix things up ...no? ) .

We have the most return customers ( and some of them had damaged props ) on the island.....but I guess they are all crazy to rent with us. Ask around on Bonaire about us.....maybe you will hear a different story.

Common people....everybody is entitled to an opinion.....but most of you haven't even met us!

I don't think people are making judgments based on one complaint, at least I am not. I am making a judgment based on YOUR response to the one complaint and the pictures of the prop in question. The pictures posted show superficial damage to the prop--a few scrapes in the paint. This prop could easily be repainted for next to nothing in cost yet you insist on charging the customer $500. You want to charge for the so-called damage? Fine but charge an amount that is appropriate to the damage done. You are charging a minimum of $500 if a prop doesn't look brand new when it's returned. That's your business practice and if you're going to stand behind it then people will judge you for it. I would bet that a bunch of your "return" customers don't realize what your true practices are. As I stated earlier, based on your responses, I will be renting a boat from another company on Bonaire.

Zonja, I can't speak for others, but my post was not intended to be personal. I'm sure you are a very nice person If you were to put on a damaged prop, like the one in the photo, I'd just feel more comfortable thats all. Accidents happen and I have no problem paying for damage I might cause, either intentionally or not, but that prop to me looks like just some missing paint. Not really "damage" and not damage worth $500, in my opinion. Just on vacation, I want to enjoy it and not have any problems. It puts a damper on the vacation and is time consuming to resolve any differences. However, we will be renting a boat next month and after Rob's post, I'll photograph every inch of the boat and read the fine print before heading out

zonja, i agree with denise. i had even emailed one of the moderators wondering if the original poster might have a personal problem with you. however, after reading your response and seeing the pictures of the prop i had to agree that there was no way the person should have been charged $500. it's your business and you are free to run it as you see fit. but as consumers we are free to patronize businesses that do not take advantage of their customers.

zonja after looking at the prop, I personally would NEVER rent a boat from you. I believe your business practices are very unfair and very greedy. If people are going to get charged $500 for this type of "damage", then maybe you should start charging for getting the boat wet.

After seeing a Rent-A-Boat casualty today parked near Kaya Proud (destroyed bow, total breach of the boat body, very serious fiberglass damage), I'm guessing some of this is to re-coup the expensive cost of fiberglass repair.

#After seeing a Rent-A-Boat casualty today parked near Kaya Proud (destroyed bow, total breach of the boat body, very serious fiberglass damage), I'm guessing some of this is to re-coup the expensive cost of fiberglass repair.

I dont know Sonja. I dont know the renter. No axe to grind. Also my only experience with actual prop strikes is with aircraft propellers.... one turns in air.... one turns in water. When a prop is turning under power and strikes an object, it slows very slightly. This sudden slight disparity between the engine speed and prop speed causes torsion (twisting) in the prop shaft. This may or may not result in microscopic hairline cracks on the shaft, invisible to the human eye. Cracks if at all present may last the life of the engine without complaint.... then again they might propagate to the point of failure or anything in between. I remember when props had shear pins... even snow blowers had them for just this reason. I remember running a snowblower over a tree stump... stump 1... blower zero. I remember sticking my fingers in a fan. I remem...............................

I have been reading this message board, and have a stoy of my own you might be interested in with rent-a-boat ( Multifish ) These are not honest people, This I know unfortunitly first hand. January 2 2011 mulifish rented a boat to a group of people that soon afer crashed into my boat at full speed while the driver was looking behind at the skier. My boat was legally moored on a mooring . There were several whitnesses who I really thank for all the photos of the accedent and statements. The people that rented the boat left the scene and returned the boat to the rent-a-boat ( Multifish ) facility. They never called the Police or reported and incident to anybody. Lucky for me I have been involved in Bonaire about 12 years and a lot of people know me and my boat and also lucky they seen the accedent. When I arrived at the Multifish rental company the wrecked boat was there, the supposed owners Colette Villers and Zonja Topps were not concerned at all about the damage to my boat and refuse any and all responsabillity. They stated that the renters said there was no damage to the other boat ( Mine )At this time the first estimate I have is well over $32.000 usd for repairs, I was also told this is a estimate and there were more likly to be more unseen expences. so I think you know how I feel about there operation. $ 500 for scratched crylon paint.....wonder what there bill would be if the shoe was on the other foot????

This thread is becoming more and more outrageous. **Kenny** if it were me, I'd get statements from the witnesses and then deal with rent-a-boats liability carrier directly. I'd also file an official report with the proper government agency.

Ya, what he said. I mean, having an "island attitude" is one thing. But just accepting someone's indifference toward obvious costly negligence is baffling. Please tell me you don't plan to pay these expenses yourself???

I have been filing all the necessary papers, but trust me, these people are not in the least interested in any kind of settlement or anything to do with repairing mt boat. Its the worst behavior I have ever witnessed, the driver of the boat says its not his fault that the multi fish people are not insured, or so they say,,,,But??? I think there all a bunch of ???? well,,,,you know what I think,,,I sure hope they don't think I am going to go away,,,, IM NOT

Kenny..If you're encountering that type of runaround why don't you just consult with one of the local lawyers to handle your case? The driver of the boat says it's not his fault? I mean really. If your boat was moored and he hit it? Duh...

@vince: I believe the driver its not his fault that the owners are not insured.

You are more a specialist than I am..... but if I would rent a boat I would assume it's insured for damage to third parties. I will check my travel insurance to see if it covers accidents like this. bob

Well Bob, you know what they say about the word "assume". I don't know Dutch law, but in the U.S. a driver is definitely responsible for negligent acts they may commit while operating a boat or a motor vehicle.

The operator may meet the definition of "an insured" under a policy which protects the owner of the boat or vehicle and then that policy would afford the operator defense & indemnification.

I suspect there would be liability coverage afforded to the business and would "assume" that would cover the loss. In the absence of any coverage on Bonaire, if the operator of the boat (I'm assuming he was from the U.S.) had an umbrella policy, I would think that would also provide liability coverage to him.

Hey CB...I wear the red one quite frequently on Bonaire. For some unknown reason, I can leave it at all the dive sites (clearly visibly hanging from the mirror in the truck) but no one ever touches it..

regarding the drink..Anytime we're both on Bonaire..I know the perfect place to catch the green flash!

@ vince This case was a nice wake up call for me and I called my insurance company. I have a worldwide coverage for liability, excluding only cars... (of course) When I persisted, they told me that all "vehicles" with an engine stronger than 4HP are excluded too. That cannot be insured (at least in The Netherlands) and the renter of the vehicle (boat, moped, scooter or whatever) is the only one who can insure that for you.

I called my travel insurance and they don't offer coverage either.

So, when I come to Bonaire this summer, I will pay more attention to insurance issues when/if I rent a boat/horse/scooter etc

Here's a brief little primer on umbrella coverage available in the U.S. I strongly recommend the purchase of same for those who are eligible. Generally it's endorsed onto a homeowner policy. If interested, of course speak with your broker.

Very interesting Vince. I have never encountered an umbrella coverage in the Netherlands. Cost is not high either. I hope that the one who was driving the boat and ran into the other, had such policy. Then there would be no problem.

I'm wondering if the boat rental people charged the renters insurance. To Rob, the OP--did you get charged for insurance when you rented their boat, or just had to put a deposit/leave your CC info? It would seem pretty nefarious if a company charged each user for insurance, but in reality had none...

It is not uncommon for rental companies to charge for insurance that they do not have. Most minor damage is covered by the deductible anyway & labour is relatively cheap so it's a nice extra income.

Most vehicles are not repaired to as new standard, they are simply patched up & sent straight back out.

I am aware of at least two car hire companies on Bonaire who do not take out insurance from a broker but charge customers for the premium. Over the course of the year, they make more from the premiums paid to them than they have to pay out for repairs as there are very few total losses.

It may be nefarious but probably not illegal. I assume that in the eyes of the law, the rental company is acting as the insurer rather than a broker. I guess that they just 'forget' to mention that to the renter.

My advice for renters would to be to ask who the insurance company is.

Many years ago the extra coverage was sold under the abbreviation CDD or collision damage deductible. This meant that the collision coverage afforded to the rental company (which had a collision ded. under their fleet coverage) would be waived. In essence coverage protecting the renter from the risk of collision damage from dollar one for the renter. This is what you paid extra for.

Over time this morphed into something a bit more favorable for the car rental companies. CDW or collision damage waiver. This meant that the renter did not have to reimburse the car rental company the ensuing damage caused by a collision to the rented vehicle but the renter would STILL be responsible for the collision ded.. Of course the collision ded could be easily as high as a thousand dollars!

Has anyone ever taken the time to annualize the additional costs associated with CDW? Would you really pay that exorbitant figure to your auto or marine carrier at home? So bottom line, it's your money & your own tolerance level for risk.